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Maillard AM, Romascano D, Villalón-Reina JE, Moreau CA, Almeida Osório JM, Richetin S, Junod V, Yu P, Misic B, Thompson PM, Fornari E, Gygax MJ, Jacquemont S, Chabane N, Rodríguez-Herreros B. Pervasive alterations of intra-axonal volume and network organization in young children with a 16p11.2 deletion. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:95. [PMID: 38355713 PMCID: PMC10866898 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02810-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Reciprocal Copy Number Variants (CNVs) at the 16p11.2 locus confer high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Morphometric MRI studies have revealed large and pervasive volumetric alterations in carriers of a 16p11.2 deletion. However, the specific neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying such alterations, as well as their developmental trajectory, are still poorly understood. Here we explored differences in microstructural brain connectivity between 24 children carrying a 16p11.2 deletion and 66 typically developing (TD) children between 2 and 8 years of age. We found a large pervasive increase of intra-axonal volume widespread over a high number of white matter tracts. Such microstructural alterations in 16p11.2 deletion children were already present at an early age, and led to significant changes in the global efficiency and integration of brain networks mainly associated to language, motricity and socio-emotional behavior, although the widespread pattern made it unlikely to represent direct functional correlates. Our results shed light on the neuroanatomical basis of the previously reported increase of white matter volume, and align well with analogous evidence of altered axonal diameter and synaptic function in 16p11.2 mice models. We provide evidence of a prevalent mechanistic deviation from typical maturation of brain structural connectivity associated with a specific biological risk to develop ASD. Future work is warranted to determine how this deviation contributes to the emergence of symptoms observed in young children diagnosed with ASD and other NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M Maillard
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et apparentés, Département de psychiatrie, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David Romascano
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et apparentés, Département de psychiatrie, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julio E Villalón-Reina
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Clara A Moreau
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Joana M Almeida Osório
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et apparentés, Département de psychiatrie, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sonia Richetin
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et apparentés, Département de psychiatrie, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Junod
- Unité de Neurologie et neuroréhabilitation pédiatrique, Département femme-mère-enfant, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Paola Yu
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et apparentés, Département de psychiatrie, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bratislav Misic
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Eleonora Fornari
- Biomedical Imaging Center (CIBM), Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marine Jequier Gygax
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et apparentés, Département de psychiatrie, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sébastien Jacquemont
- Sainte Justine Hospital Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nadia Chabane
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et apparentés, Département de psychiatrie, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Borja Rodríguez-Herreros
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et apparentés, Département de psychiatrie, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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